OUR OPINION: Full steam ahead for Red Line Tech Corridor

Thursday

May 15, 2014 at 6:22 AMMay 15, 2014 at 6:28 AM

A new technology initiative called the Life Sciences Corridor is something everyone can get on board with

The Patriot Ledger

It’s a brilliant idea.

On Tuesday, the mayors of Quincy, Braintree, Boston, Somerville and Cambridge gathered at Boston’s Museum of Science to announce the creation of a new technology initiative, the Life Sciences Corridor. These communities along the MBTA’s Red Line will join forces to attract tech firms to locate to the Boston-metropolitan area. As we said, brilliant.

Cambridge started riding the high-tech wave a few years ago and is now considered the national epicenter of life sciences, with more than 300 companies located in the general vicinity of Kendall Square. Boston has had its fair share of tech titans move within its borders, and Quincy and Braintree have had smatterings.

Yet under new Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, all have recognized the value in a team approach and have vowed to avoid the previous strategy of competing against each other, which helped no one but the companies when it came to tax breaks.

By working together, the cities that make up the Life Sciences Corridor hope to meet just about any need of any company. Need lots of office space and free parking with easy access to Boston? Come to Braintree or Quincy. Need to be right in the midst of the world’s best research hospitals? Boston is where it’s at. Need to connect with other similarly focused companies? The Life Sciences Corridor intends to connect businesses of all sizes.

The potential rewards for this group effort don’t benefit only the tech industry. If new businesses are attracted to Quincy and Braintree, the communities’ residents could see their taxes offset by a healthy commercial tax base. Small businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, might see their revenues increase. And with new businesses come new jobs, good-paying jobs.

The life sciences field is the focus of just about every economist and college administrator. It’s no coincidence that there’s an enormous push in higher education to get students to major in one of the four STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and math. Recognizing this, Quincy College opened a 1,600-square-foot lab as part of its biotechnology and compliance program. Given that statewide jobs in the life sciences grew by a whopping 27 percent from 2001 to 2011, it was a wise move.

On the same day the mayors made their announcement, Gov. Deval Patrick made his own, about leading a contingent of local tech leaders on a mission to Israel and the United Arab Emirates to engender more business for the state. We only wish he had included a woman in the delegation, considering that women are vastly underrepresented in the tech world. Perhaps the Life Sciences Corridor will promote more involvement of female tech leaders.

Part of the genius of the Life Sciences Corridor is its location along the Red Line. In addition to quite literally connecting everyone, it should encourage much-needed investment in our outdated mass transportation infrastructure. On the day the mayors made their big announcement, the MBTA announced severe delays on the Red Line due to a mechanical issue. The irony was lost on no one.

We expect no such issues for the business side of the Life Sciences Corridor, however. This is a plan everyone can get on board with, and together, move full steam ahead.

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